The Field of Boaz - Ruth Chapter 1:1-23
J. Deering, AncientPath.net

The Field of Boaz
    Theme: John 14:2-3 "I have go and prepare a place for you"
 

Ruth 2:2
And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, "Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain  after one in whose sight I may find favor." And she said to her, "Go, my daughter."

God’s Providential Hand brings Ruth to Boaz’s Field.

The following observations are to be understood on at least 3 levels.

1. The story of the lives of Ruth and Boaz, just as they are reported in the book

2. The imagery of the characters and the Nation of Israel

3. The imagery of the characters and members of the Body of Christ

It is important to know that the imagery of the book can be used in seeing the restorative, reconciling, redemptive nature of God. Our focus will be two-fold. First is the restoration to fellowship with God of the disobedient child of God. In the book of Ruth we see the nation of Judah (Israel) in the process of being welcomed back form her sin of idolatry in allowing many of the men to take foreign Godless wives who turned the nation against the Lord. The nation repented (turned around) through the chastisement of famine and once again sought their living God (Ruth 1:1-22). Beginning in chapter two we can see the imagery of repentant Israelites (Ruth) in the process of returning to her God (Boaz) by going to His field and approaching the "reapers" (the Hebrew word translated here as "reapers" only indicates that those Ruth approached were "followers," or "the remnant.") Those who did not disobey God and did not leave His will. Within this first focus we can also see the Grace of God for the believer who has sinned, confessed his sin, and is in the process of reconciliation and restoration in the fellowship of God (1 John 1:9 ff).

The second area of focus would be in seeing the imagery in terms of those who have not begun their relationship with God but have been called by Him (as Ruth is being called). The story then becomes the romance of God toward the one who approaches for Salvation whether it is a member of the Nation of Israel in Ruth's time (in Ruth's case a proselyte Gentile) or a Jew or Gentile seeking Him for salvation today.

Be careful when you read and apply each of these focus ideas that you do not confuse them. Ruth was probably included in the O.T. canon because of its parallel imagery concerning the Nation of Israel and its cycles of fellowship VS judgment throughout the book of Judges. The book is primarily about Restoration and Fellowship with God, not the salvation of the individual.

Key characters with a focus on repentance

• Ruth - The Stranger, the foreigner in the midst of the Nation

• Naomi - The member of the nation who has lost their faith in The One God

• The Workers - The Remnant, those in the nation who have remained faithful to God

• Boaz, God - The master of the Field

• The Field - The believing nation of Israel

• The Harvest - The calling out and gathering of the Believing members of the Nation of Israel

Key characters with a focus on salvation

• Ruth - The unsaved newcomer, the "Seeker"

• Naomi - The once believing relative or friend

• The Workers - The believing members of the local church

• Boaz - The Kinsman Redeemer - Jesus Christ

• The field - The bounty of God’s grace and the Word of God

• The Harvest - The calling out and gathering of the Body of Christ

The Rights of The Poor - The Crops are a Gift from the Lord to ALL of His Children (the Jew and the Stranger). The owners of bearing fields are merely Stewards of the land and the harvest (The Jubilee - repayment of all debts Example)

Key Phrases: (Boaz's field as the neighborhood of the believer)

• Ripe for harvest

• Workers in the field – busy

• Owned by Naomi's family

• Boaz on good terms with workers

• Boaz interested in "stranger" in the field

• Ruth known by the workers

• Let her gather – Provision

• Sitting in the house – Familiar

Keys to the Narrative:

Narrator:

1. (2:1)
   Naomi had a kinsman (Naomi already in the family)
   A man of great wealth (The sheep of a thousand hills)
   Of the family of Elimelech (Messiah's family line)

2. (2:2)
   Ruth the Moabitess (The stranger, foreigner, alien, unbeliever, amongst believers)
   Ruth: 1. "Please let me go and glean" (Pricked in the heart to learn spiritual truth) 2. "After one in whose sight I have found favor" (the bond between the believer and one who seeks, the beginning of discipleship)
   Naomi "Go, my daughter" (relationship change – my daughter-in-law to my daughter)

3. (2:3)
   Ruth:  Departed, went, gleaned, and found herself in Boaz's field (acted upon her desire, was obedient, learned, and found herself in the place of Grace of God)
   Narrator: The field belonging to Boaz, of the family of Elimelech (God's field of repentance (turning around) and faith)

4. (2:4)
   Boaz "May the LORD be with you," and the workers similar response. God and His workers have a loving and respectful relationship with each other.

5. (2:5)
   Boaz to his field supervisor: "Whose young woman is this?" There is a hierarchy in all things. Those who are in charge (the supervisor) have an obligation to know who is in their midst. They are responsible to see that no one gets lost in the crowd whether you are a stranger in the land of Judah or a seeking visitor in a church.

6. (2:6)
   Supervisor to Boaz: His response tells us that he is doing his job. He knows much about this visitor to his field.

7. (2:7)
   Supervisor telling of Ruth's words: "Please let me glean and gather…." Compare this with Matthew 15:26-27 and Mark 7:27-28 – The woman of great faith who requested the spiritual crumbs from Jesus. Whether it is the repentant one seeking to be included back with congregation or the one who seeks salvation and is starving for knowledge about Him, be gracious toward the Lord's calling of this little one.

8. (2:8-9)
   Boaz: In this 2 verse section Boaz requires of her some obedience if she truly wishes to continue to seek food, but this request oh his is for her direct benefit. Both food and safety are his concerns. God requires those who come similar things – Listen carefully, don't go to another's field, stay here with my maids, let your eyes be on this field, follow the remnant (reapers), no harm will come from My workers, and drink from the water (of life) that my servants draw from.

9. (2:10)
   Ruth: "Why me?" There comes that time when those who approach God begin to realize the depth of His grace. "What have I done to merit your care?"

10. (2:11)
    Boaz: "What you have done, and your desire to come here – I have heard all about it" For the repentant there is both the act of repentance and the return to Him for that repentance. For the seeker there is the changing life that is apparent by the turning to God, "coming to a place that you did not know."

11. (2:12)
    Boaz: "May the LORD reward your work, and your wages be full from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge." The blessing upon the one who follows His call and seeks Him, again whether in repentance or in the call to salvation.

12. (2:13-23)
    Continued blessings as Ruth's relationship with Boaz grows closer. "He has prepared a place for me," c.p., John 14:2-3

The Book of Ruth, Bible Study, J. Deering, AncientPath.net, study materials are a ministry of AncientPath.net, and may be copied for use in Bible study groups, in limited numbers, providing that no charge is made for them.  No further distribution or use of these materials is allowable under U.S. or International Copyright Law without the express permission of AncientPath.net. ©2008 AncientPath.net, All rights reserved.

011809